Freakonomics

Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

Ha ha! Where to even start. I actually heard of this economist a few years ago on the news, then I stumbled upon the book the other day. I knew I had to pick it up. I love math, numbers and statistics and even though this book is chock full of that, it is not by any means boring.

The book begins by telling how the two authors came together and decided they had enough interesting material to make a book on economics. Then they go on to explain why conventional wisdom is many times completely wrong.

The authors put forth some strange questions and then mathematically or economically answer them. Seriously........I love this. 'What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common?' 'How is the KKK like a group of real estate agents?' 'Why do drug dealers still live with their moms?' 'Where have all of the criminals gone?' (You will never guess where they went. Fascinating!) 'What makes a perfect parent?' (Harsh findings here. Although they quantified this, I still have doubts about some of it...that is at least the quality part.) 'Perfect parenting, part II; or would a Roshanda by any other name smell as sweet?' (This is about baby naming. These two guys have even put a number on naming trends in correlation with ethnicity, education and socio-economic status. I would seriously use this as a baby naming book.)

Some of the findings are shocking, even down right revolting and hard to swallow. Some of them I figured out on my own before I read the complete chapter. The two authors are hilarious and charming. I am certain if I were a better hostess/cook or enjoyed social gatherings.....I should have them over for dinner.

Rating 4.5 I am sure I will reference this book in conversation for a very long time!!

Rating PG 13 Even economists run into potty mouths while researching. Multiple uses of the F word while deep in gang territory.